Cultish. Fanatische Sprache und woran wir sie erkennen

"What makes "cults" so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we're looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join--and more importantly, stay in--extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell's argument is that, on some level, it already has ... Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of "brainwashing." But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear--and are influenced by--every single day. Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities "cultish," revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven's Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of "cultish" everywhere." --

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Sinn, wo steckst du? - Warum wir über die falschen Dinge zu viel nachdenkenJede Generation hat ihre eigene Krise. Um die Last des Informationszeitalters zu bewältigen, riskiert unser Verstand so manches Ausweichmanöver: Wir lassen uns von Online-Astrologen in Jobfragen beraten, vergöttern (oder verdammen) Taylor Swift, als sei sie unsere eigene Mutter, klicken uns paranoid durch Insta-Profile und bringen unser Weltbild durch Algorithmen ins Wanken.Voller Klugheit und Komik schreibt Amanda Montell von den tief verwurzelten Verzerrungen,die in unseren Köpfen grassieren, und verwebt dabei ihre eigenen Erfahrungen mit akuter Kulturkritik: Wir katastrophieren, dramatisieren, verschwören, beschönigen und unken und verwechseln dabei gerne Ursache und Wirkung. Selten hat man sich in seinen verzerrten Wahrnehmungen so ertappt gefühlt.Ihr Buch ist Augenöffner und Beruhigungsmittel zugleich, denn je besser wir unsere Irrationalitäten verstehen, umso vernünftiger (und versöhnlicher) uns selbst gegenüber können wir damit umgehen.'Montell geht der Frage nach, wie das Internet und das ständige Online-Sein uns in ängstliche, irrationale Wesen verwandelt haben, die alles chronisch überdenken müssen. Und natürlich schenkt sie uns auch eine Pause vom Chaos unseres modernen Zeitalters.'Men's Health 'Wer schon einmal in seinem eigenen Kopf gefangen war, kann in Amanda Montells neuestem Werk Trost finden. Es ist eine reizvolle Mischung aus Kulturkritik und persönlicher Erzählung, die dem modernen Informationszeitalter, den überlasteten Bewältigungsmechanismen unseres Gehirns und der Irrationalität der Gesellschaft auf den Grund geht.'NYLON'Montell führt ihre Fans auf die vielen Straßen, auf denen sich das Wettrennen zwischen Sprache, Psychologie und ihren eigenen bizarren Verhaltensweisen verfolgen lässt.'Elle

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see—or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” —Megan Angelo, author of Followers“At times chilling, often funny, and always perceptive and cogent, Cultish is a bracing reminder that the scariest thing about cults is that you don't realize you're in one till it's too late.”—Refinery29.comThe New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how “cultish” groups, from Jonestown and Scientologists to SoulCycle and social media gurus, use language as the ultimate form of power.What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.  Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.

In the modern information age, our brain's coping mechanisms have been overloaded, and our irrationality turned up to eleven. Amanda Montell blends cultural criticism and personal narrative to explore our modern cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages and highlights of magical overthinking."Magical thinking" can be broadly defined as the belief that one's internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world. Whether that's "manifesting" their way out of poverty, staving off cancer with positive vibes, or transforming an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one through loyalty alone.In a series of razor sharp and introspective chapters, Montell delves into cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains, from how the "halo effect" cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger-than-life celebrities, to how the "sunk cost fallacy" can keep us in detrimental relationships long after they no longer serve us.Told with her signature brilliance and wit, Montell delivers a powerful prevailing message of hope and forgiveness for our anxious human experience. If you ever find yourself struggling, despite your best efforts, to keep faith in our overwhelming information overload, this book will be your guiding light.Now's the time to make sense of the senselessness and refresh our minds. Montell illuminates in the chaos, quieting the havoc, and invites us to listen, as even in the most startling dissonance, there is harmony.